Factional fighting kills 8 Palestinians

Gaza Strip  The Palestinian security service controlled by Hamas moved forcefully in the Gaza Strip on Sunday to disperse demonstrators loyal to the rival Fatah movement who were demanding months of back pay from a nearly bankrupt government.

At least eight people were killed, including two teenage boys, and more than 100 were injured in daylong clashes that marked the most severe partisan violence between the two sides in months.

The fighting, which erupted in downtown Gaza City and later flared in the West Bank, came as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's effort to form a power-sharing cabinet with Hamas has collapsed. The apparent failure has brought mutual recriminations between the two main Palestinian political movements at a time of stifling economic crisis in the territories stemming from international sanctions against the Hamas-controlled government.